Balls up

In an unfortunate example of great minds thinking alike, all the region’s major theatres have picked productions of Cinderella as their flagship pantomime this Christmas.

Brighton’s Theatre Royal, Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park, Hastings’ White Rock and Tunbridge Wells’ Assembly Hall theatres will each tell the tale of Cinders’ adventures at the Ball over the Yuletide season.

EastEnders actors top the billing at both Eastbourne and Tunbridge Wells, with the former starring Gillian Wright (Jean Slater) as the Fairy Godmother, and the latter landing Shaun Williamson (Barry Evans) as Buttons. Hastings scores international pop legend ‘Little’ Jimmy Osmond as their Buttons, while Brighton brings a classy West End production of the show to town.

The panto clash is good news for Royal Princes though, whose chances of finding a beauty to fit a stray glass slipper have now quadrupled.